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| Oxford gang skillfully groomed young victims then sold them for £600 a time | Oxford gang skillfully groomed young victims then sold them for £600 a time |
| (8 days later) | |
| Wild flowers run between the gravestones in the churchyard of St Mary and St John on the outskirts of Oxford. It is, the sign says, a place for prayer, for contemplation, for wildlife and natural beauty. | Wild flowers run between the gravestones in the churchyard of St Mary and St John on the outskirts of Oxford. It is, the sign says, a place for prayer, for contemplation, for wildlife and natural beauty. |
| Yet for the young girls who were lured here to be subjected, among the headstones and the holly trees, to sexual atrocities at the hands of a pack of men, it was nothing short of a living hell. | Yet for the young girls who were lured here to be subjected, among the headstones and the holly trees, to sexual atrocities at the hands of a pack of men, it was nothing short of a living hell. |
| A short walk away, the Nanford guest house on Iffley Road looks freshly painted and promises guests bed and breakfast accommodation and garage space. Here, too, appearances are deceptive. It was to this small hotel that girls were brought and held, sometimes for days. They were plied with alcohol, crack, heroin and cocaine and offered to men whose twisted sexual interest involved not just abuse and force, but extreme sexual violence and torture involving meat cleavers and baseball bats. | A short walk away, the Nanford guest house on Iffley Road looks freshly painted and promises guests bed and breakfast accommodation and garage space. Here, too, appearances are deceptive. It was to this small hotel that girls were brought and held, sometimes for days. They were plied with alcohol, crack, heroin and cocaine and offered to men whose twisted sexual interest involved not just abuse and force, but extreme sexual violence and torture involving meat cleavers and baseball bats. |
| Once – just once – a fellow guest overheard the expressions of pain and suffering, and rang 999. But the police investigation fizzled away, as others had done, deflected and defeated all too easily when the vulnerable child involved withdrew her complaint that she had been raped. | Once – just once – a fellow guest overheard the expressions of pain and suffering, and rang 999. But the police investigation fizzled away, as others had done, deflected and defeated all too easily when the vulnerable child involved withdrew her complaint that she had been raped. |
| These men picked their victims well: children between the ages of 11 and 15 who had grown up with no nurturing, very little love and even less protection, girls who would not be listened to or missed when they ran away from children's homes or played truant from school, girls easily groomed into believing they were being shown affection. | These men picked their victims well: children between the ages of 11 and 15 who had grown up with no nurturing, very little love and even less protection, girls who would not be listened to or missed when they ran away from children's homes or played truant from school, girls easily groomed into believing they were being shown affection. |
| "I have no choice; I just want to be loved. I've never been loved and this shows me love," one of the girls told a friend. | "I have no choice; I just want to be loved. I've never been loved and this shows me love," one of the girls told a friend. |
| What happened spanned eight years and took place within a few square miles of Cowley as everyone else went about their business; in the churchyard, the guesthouse, in empty properties rented for the purpose, in public open spaces like Christchurch meadow, Shotover Woods or Headington Hill, on the benches outside a children's play area. No area, no street corner was left untainted. | What happened spanned eight years and took place within a few square miles of Cowley as everyone else went about their business; in the churchyard, the guesthouse, in empty properties rented for the purpose, in public open spaces like Christchurch meadow, Shotover Woods or Headington Hill, on the benches outside a children's play area. No area, no street corner was left untainted. |
| It was the organised trafficking, rape and prostitution of young girls, who were effectively owned by their abusers and sold for £600 a time to punters. | It was the organised trafficking, rape and prostitution of young girls, who were effectively owned by their abusers and sold for £600 a time to punters. |
| "To think it was going on here, under our noses, that is a terrible thing," said Adam Romanis, who has led the congregation at St Mary and St John for 14 years. "We recognise now that no section of society, no community, no family can ever say this can't happen to us, we would never do such a thing." | "To think it was going on here, under our noses, that is a terrible thing," said Adam Romanis, who has led the congregation at St Mary and St John for 14 years. "We recognise now that no section of society, no community, no family can ever say this can't happen to us, we would never do such a thing." |
| Across the Cowley Road the leaders of the Central Oxford mosque are equally horrified that men who attended prayers inside its doors – men who had wives and children and were well known in the community – could have been responsible. | Across the Cowley Road the leaders of the Central Oxford mosque are equally horrified that men who attended prayers inside its doors – men who had wives and children and were well known in the community – could have been responsible. |
| What Romanis describes as a "vibrant, cohesive, multicultural community" has had to face the suggestion that the extreme and violent sexual exploitation by a group of Asian men of deeply vulnerable young white girls had a racial element. The police will not be drawn, and those who study child sexual exploitation say the issue is deeply complex and cannot be reduced in this way. | What Romanis describes as a "vibrant, cohesive, multicultural community" has had to face the suggestion that the extreme and violent sexual exploitation by a group of Asian men of deeply vulnerable young white girls had a racial element. The police will not be drawn, and those who study child sexual exploitation say the issue is deeply complex and cannot be reduced in this way. |
| But there is no doubt that the detective who – after years of failures and inaction by the authorities – broke open the network of abuse, prostitution and degradation with these young girls at its centre, took advice from forces like Greater Manchester, Derbyshire and Lancashire, all of whom have had to tackle an emerging model of child sexual exploitation in which large groups of Asian men target vulnerable white girls on the streets. | But there is no doubt that the detective who – after years of failures and inaction by the authorities – broke open the network of abuse, prostitution and degradation with these young girls at its centre, took advice from forces like Greater Manchester, Derbyshire and Lancashire, all of whom have had to tackle an emerging model of child sexual exploitation in which large groups of Asian men target vulnerable white girls on the streets. |
| As in Rochdale, the perpetrators in Oxford met their victims on the street, outside schools, in cafes in and around the Cowley Road area of the city. | As in Rochdale, the perpetrators in Oxford met their victims on the street, outside schools, in cafes in and around the Cowley Road area of the city. |
| In 2004, Girl A, then 12, met Akhtar Dogar, his brother Anjum and some of their associates when she was playing truant from school to go drinking and smoking around Oxford. | In 2004, Girl A, then 12, met Akhtar Dogar, his brother Anjum and some of their associates when she was playing truant from school to go drinking and smoking around Oxford. |
| The grooming was skilled and effective. At first they gave her gifts of perfume and listened to her complaints about her parents. Akhtar Dogar drove her around in his black Mercedes, and the men handed out cannabis and cocaine. But before long they demanded something in return, and using threats of violence, they forced her to "make them happy". By then living in a children's home in Henley, she was taken to the Nanford guest house or a hotel on the Oxford ring road and presented to men who had come from across the country to have sex with her, often three or four at a time, many of whom filmed her on their mobile phones. | The grooming was skilled and effective. At first they gave her gifts of perfume and listened to her complaints about her parents. Akhtar Dogar drove her around in his black Mercedes, and the men handed out cannabis and cocaine. But before long they demanded something in return, and using threats of violence, they forced her to "make them happy". By then living in a children's home in Henley, she was taken to the Nanford guest house or a hotel on the Oxford ring road and presented to men who had come from across the country to have sex with her, often three or four at a time, many of whom filmed her on their mobile phones. |
| Like the other girls, she was subjected to sexual violence marked out by its sadism: sexual assaults designed to draw blood, multiple rapes, physical attacks in which she was choked. | Like the other girls, she was subjected to sexual violence marked out by its sadism: sexual assaults designed to draw blood, multiple rapes, physical attacks in which she was choked. |
| Through Girl A the men were able to target another victim, a young girl who lived with her in the children's home, and had been in foster care from the age of five. Girl B and Girl A would run away from the home and spend up to two weeks at a time drinking and taking drugs with Kamar Jamil and the Dogar brothers. Girl B was burned with a lighter, forced to have oral sex repeatedly, and taken to the churchyard for sex. She was plied with alcohol, and "wasted" for much of the time, she said. | Through Girl A the men were able to target another victim, a young girl who lived with her in the children's home, and had been in foster care from the age of five. Girl B and Girl A would run away from the home and spend up to two weeks at a time drinking and taking drugs with Kamar Jamil and the Dogar brothers. Girl B was burned with a lighter, forced to have oral sex repeatedly, and taken to the churchyard for sex. She was plied with alcohol, and "wasted" for much of the time, she said. |
| Once, after being driven to a flat by Jamil, she said, a "very fat and ugly" man in his late 30s arrived. When she refused to have sex with him Jamil threatened her, before the man pushed her on the bed and raped her. "I was struggling for a while beforehand, but then I just gave up," she said in her evidence. | Once, after being driven to a flat by Jamil, she said, a "very fat and ugly" man in his late 30s arrived. When she refused to have sex with him Jamil threatened her, before the man pushed her on the bed and raped her. "I was struggling for a while beforehand, but then I just gave up," she said in her evidence. |
| Girl C, who was 12 years old when she met Mohammed Karrar, was groomed in a similar way. A drug-dealer who was armed with guns and other weapons, Karrar instilled terror in his victims. Between the ages of 13 and 15, Girl C was raped, prostituted and trafficked by the Dogar brothers, Assad Hussain, and Mohammed Karrar and his brother Bassam. When she was 14 she was raped in the Nanford. Her screams were overheard by a fellow guest who called the police saying he believed a prostitute was being attacked. But Girl C withdrew her complaint and the police investigation was dropped. | Girl C, who was 12 years old when she met Mohammed Karrar, was groomed in a similar way. A drug-dealer who was armed with guns and other weapons, Karrar instilled terror in his victims. Between the ages of 13 and 15, Girl C was raped, prostituted and trafficked by the Dogar brothers, Assad Hussain, and Mohammed Karrar and his brother Bassam. When she was 14 she was raped in the Nanford. Her screams were overheard by a fellow guest who called the police saying he believed a prostitute was being attacked. But Girl C withdrew her complaint and the police investigation was dropped. |
| During the period of her abuse Girl C's adoptive mother reported her missing 80 times. "She would return from these dreadful episodes and she wanted to sit on my knee and suck her thumb and sing nursery rhymes," she said. | During the period of her abuse Girl C's adoptive mother reported her missing 80 times. "She would return from these dreadful episodes and she wanted to sit on my knee and suck her thumb and sing nursery rhymes," she said. |
| The youngest victim, Girl D, was subjected to some of the most extreme violence. She had grown up in a household where her father and mother suffered mental and physical ill health. She routinely witnessed her father being violent towards her mother. | The youngest victim, Girl D, was subjected to some of the most extreme violence. She had grown up in a household where her father and mother suffered mental and physical ill health. She routinely witnessed her father being violent towards her mother. |
| By the time she reached secondary school she was playing truant, and staying out late to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis. | By the time she reached secondary school she was playing truant, and staying out late to drink alcohol and smoke cannabis. |
| She met Mohammed Karrar when she was a small child of 11. Put simply, she said she was "sold" to him by another man, who is still at large. Karrar, whom she knew as Mo, had complete control over her, she said. "If he wanted me to do something I would do it. [He said] if he wanted me to eat shit, I would eat shit." When she was 12 he branded her "so people knew I was his". Karrar and his brother Bassam repeatedly beat and raped her. | She met Mohammed Karrar when she was a small child of 11. Put simply, she said she was "sold" to him by another man, who is still at large. Karrar, whom she knew as Mo, had complete control over her, she said. "If he wanted me to do something I would do it. [He said] if he wanted me to eat shit, I would eat shit." When she was 12 he branded her "so people knew I was his". Karrar and his brother Bassam repeatedly beat and raped her. |
| The brothers arranged for her to be repeatedly gang-raped by groups of men. When she fell pregnant Karrar arranged a backstreet abortion in a room at the back of a house in Reading. When she was 12-and-a-half he struck her on the head with a baseball bat and raped her with it while she was unconscious. On another occasion he injected her with heroin. | The brothers arranged for her to be repeatedly gang-raped by groups of men. When she fell pregnant Karrar arranged a backstreet abortion in a room at the back of a house in Reading. When she was 12-and-a-half he struck her on the head with a baseball bat and raped her with it while she was unconscious. On another occasion he injected her with heroin. |
| Karrar was brazen in his exploitation of Girl D and acted in the belief that the authorities would never challenge him – something that for years proved to be true. Isolated, terrified and dependant on the drugs she was being fed, she summoned up the courage to report Karrar to the police twice; once in May 2005 and again in 2007. Nothing happened. Social workers also knew and did not act. One told the court it was the "general consensus" of the staff in her care home that she was being groomed. | Karrar was brazen in his exploitation of Girl D and acted in the belief that the authorities would never challenge him – something that for years proved to be true. Isolated, terrified and dependant on the drugs she was being fed, she summoned up the courage to report Karrar to the police twice; once in May 2005 and again in 2007. Nothing happened. Social workers also knew and did not act. One told the court it was the "general consensus" of the staff in her care home that she was being groomed. |
| In 2007, while Girl D was on a trip with a social worker, Karrar and his brother repeatedly called her mobile phone. When her social worker answered one of the calls, Karrar told him: "If you don't get her I'll fuck you up, I'll fuck her up and I'll fuck her mum up." | In 2007, while Girl D was on a trip with a social worker, Karrar and his brother repeatedly called her mobile phone. When her social worker answered one of the calls, Karrar told him: "If you don't get her I'll fuck you up, I'll fuck her up and I'll fuck her mum up." |
| Such was her fear of Karrar – who had raped her again in 2011 when she confronted him about the way she had been treated – that Girl D initially refused to enter the courtroom at the Old Bailey. She eventually gave evidence via videolink from a secure room in the building. | Such was her fear of Karrar – who had raped her again in 2011 when she confronted him about the way she had been treated – that Girl D initially refused to enter the courtroom at the Old Bailey. She eventually gave evidence via videolink from a secure room in the building. |
| In all, six girls faced their abusers in court to bring them to justice, but there are scores more victims, police say. | In all, six girls faced their abusers in court to bring them to justice, but there are scores more victims, police say. |
| In Cowley Road, members of the mosque, the church and the wider community have united to express their horror and their solidarity with the young victims. | In Cowley Road, members of the mosque, the church and the wider community have united to express their horror and their solidarity with the young victims. |
| Iman Munawar Hussain, speaking for the community, said they were determined not to let the suffering and pain of the victims be forgotten. "We want to make it crystal clear that child sexual exploitation is an abhorrent and wicked crime," he said. "Our thoughts are with those young people who have suffered, through no fault of their own, and with their families and carers as they provide vital support at such a difficult time." | Iman Munawar Hussain, speaking for the community, said they were determined not to let the suffering and pain of the victims be forgotten. "We want to make it crystal clear that child sexual exploitation is an abhorrent and wicked crime," he said. "Our thoughts are with those young people who have suffered, through no fault of their own, and with their families and carers as they provide vital support at such a difficult time." |
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